We're on to Baltimore

[Lavictoire]

Ravens fans are licking their chops:
http://boards.baltimoreravens.com/topic/62080-next-up-patriots/

 

[Triggerfish]

PLEASE, for the love of sweet baby Jesus, CRUSH these Ratbirds next week. Don't get me wrong, the Steelers absolutely lost that game fair and square. They shot themselves in the foot all night long. 3rd down Defense was just atrocious. It could have been 3rd and 50 and the Ravens would have converted. Ben had an "off" night in the ONE game we really needed him to show up big (with no Bell). Just overall a very disappointing performance. I would have never in a million years have expected them to get past your Pats, even if they did win tonight and somehow managed to upset the Donkeys. But there is NOTHING in the world worse than losing to the Ravens, if you're a Steelers fan, especially in the postseason. I hate them so much that it probably borders on unhealthy. I wouldn't piss on Suggs if he was sitting right in front of me engulfed in flames.

So yea....anyway. Just beat them. I mean, open up a can of whoop-ass like you've never seen before. I'll be rooting for your boys. I hope they bury them by 60 points.

This is the best I can offer right now after that debacle of a football game. Pardon the violent commentary. Sometimes it's a curse to be such a big fan of a sports team. Tonight is one of those nights.

Good luck next week, although I don't think you'll need it. Cheers. Time to get comfortably numb. ;-)

 

[Rob0729]

Unfortunately this will fall on deaf ears. We have an annoying habit of abandoning the run too soon

People overrate that too. There are times when the Pats abandon the run too soon (most teams do it at times too). But the Pats are usually pretty balanced considering who they have at QB and today's pass happy NFL.

 

[sb1]

PLEASE, for the love of sweet baby Jesus, CRUSH these Ratbirds next week. Don't get me wrong, the Steelers absolutely lost that game fair and square. They shot themselves in the foot all night long. 3rd down Defense was just atrocious. It could have been 3rd and 50 and the Ravens would have converted. Ben had an "off" night in the ONE game we really needed him to show up big (with no Bell). Just overall a very disappointing performance. I would have never in a million years have expected them to get past your Pats, even if they did win tonight and somehow managed to upset the Donkeys. But there is NOTHING in the world worse than losing to the Ravens, if you're a Steelers fan, especially in the postseason. I hate them so much that it probably borders on unhealthy. I wouldn't piss on Suggs if he was sitting right in front of me engulfed in flames.

So yea....anyway. Just beat them. I mean, open up a can of whoop-ass like you've never seen before. I'll be rooting for your boys. I hope they bury them by 60 points.

This is the best I can offer right now after that debacle of a football game. Pardon the violent commentary. Sometimes it's a curse to be such a big fan of a sports team. Tonight is one of those nights.

Good luck next week, although I don't think you'll need it. Cheers. Time to get comfortably numb. ;-)

Trust us, we know the feeling. The Jets loss in 2010 was a gut punch.

 

[TBR]

"He's the best quarterback in football. We'll take him any day of the week." - Ravens coach John Harbaugh on Joe Flacco

https://twitter.com/espnnfl/status/551606359524139008

LOL. I thought he was referring to taking on Brady and the Patriots but when I read "on Joe Flacco" I spit out my drink.

 

[Rob0729]

When is AJ Green supposed to be back?

Probably next week. He didn't pass the concussion protocol yesterday. So he should be close if they were even testing him.

 

[patsfan-1982]

When is AJ Green supposed to be back?

he did not pass the NFL concussion protocol so my guess is if cincy can win he would be back the next week

 

[Bobsyouruncle]

Patriots need to work the short game on offense. Ravens are a strong team at the pass rush. RB picking up the blitz or catching a check down will be important.

On defense they can't let Flacco go long. He lives off chucking. A combo of pressure and Revis should limit those big plays.

 

[Dutchmaster617]

Completely overstated. If they are relatively healthy the OL is solid. People also seem to be forgotten after the Pats settled on an OL in the 2nd half in the jests game outside of the INT that was more gift than anything that DL was pretty invisible. Anyone looking at that Buffalo game as an indicator of the OL is an idiot, the best 2 OL were out Connolly and Vollmer as were the #1 and #2 receivers in Gronk and Edelman.

Like do people forget that span between Cincinatti and Detriot where it seemed like every week the chicken littles were crapping themselves about the opposing DL only for the Pats to dominate offensively.

Wouldn't it be better to focus on the more recent winter? Where we got dominated on the O line by MIA, NYJ, and BUF for at least 9 or 10 of the 12 quarters.

 

[SVN]

Tom E. Curran ‏@tomecurran 28m28 minutes ago
Ravens are coming. Let local shoe-peeing begin. But before your bladder gives out, a word of advice from Marlon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2jAwiq6YsE….

 

[ALP]

i dont like playing a team we whooped in the reg season in the postseason, so from that perspective I like playing the ravens

well have to end up doing that in the AFC champ game anyways though

 

[Dutchmaster617]

I do not agree at all...Ravens are not that good, really. Look at who they played this year. Look at their last 5 or 6 regular season games.

They played four teams that are in the playoffs, two of them from their own division, Carolina and Indy. They went 2-4, beating Carolina and Steelers once.

All Brady needs is a decent day and we'll be fine.

Hell, look at this game, big deal, they beat a steelers team minus their star running back.

Come on, trust what yiu have seen and fret not - Pats win this one by 14 points.

I don't care who BAL played or lost to.

I just know they are going to rush us well, run well, block our rush well, tight coverage the list goes on. All of this nonsense about who they struggled against isn't going to magically make us block and rush like mad men, it is still a game with two of the toughest well balanced teams in the NFL.

 

[meatface]

2013...ravens come in here w 4 game win streak w playoff on the line. We smash them in the mouth...

we went to Baltimore last year

 

[ALP]

also, i really would love getting something like 4 or 5 pics next week, on those horribly lucky bombs Flacco throws all day

 

[Love The Drake]

OK game plan on offense is to not be cute don't try to trick the Ravens with misdirection, please dont let Tom run at all only person I'd want to see get a carry instead of a back is Julian. I think you need to set the tone for this game and have our big set Which means Cannon Flemming need to play huge for us, Develin needs to be in on pass protection in some extent with the threat to take a dump off pass.
Everything you go for against the Ravens high percentage pass plays 6 to 8 yard routes, Don't force passes or take negative plays only time I want to see Tom Mobile is when he's going out of the pocket to throw a pass away.
We need to be able to run North and South nothing to the outside until the back is at the second level.
Only keep Gronk in a few times to b slap Suggs.
Most the time he needs to be the guy to threaten a deep pass.
Tyms making plays would be huge for us if he can draw the Safety to open the underneath for Jules, Shane,Brandon, and Danny boy would be a huge advantage. Call me crazy but I like Bolden getting some snaps at running back against the Ravens.
The most important thing is keeping Tom upright, moving at a fast pace offense will negate the pass rush we move a lot more meticulous and can change plays more effectively than Big Ben did.
I want to see us have about 55 percent pass to 45 percent run.
Go for any 4th and short that is midfield or closer to our goal line.
We need to set the stone and pound the rock on short downs.
That being said I believe Julian needs to protect himself from helmet to helmet hits against the Vultures.
Gronk should be careful because they will cheap shot his knee.
With Tom I dont want Suggs to even breath on him. That should be the number one focus don't let the punk hit Tom. Aside from that on offense I think that's about it.

 

[tombonneau]

if we can't beat ravens at home then we have no business going to SB because seahawks will absolutely embarrass us like how they did it against denver.

ravens is a good test. we will know more about this team next week.
the real test begins.

This is my exact feeling. If the Pats can't even get by Ravens at home I'd rather be lose in relative historically anonymity to a C-team than go down in flames in the history books on the big stage vs Seattle.

I think this is the first playoff game that will be won by the D since I don't know when.

 

[KDPPatsfan85]

First, I am looking at the Ravens message board and they are overly confident to beat us again in our own home. Second, how is flacco in the snow? I am tracking a winter storm that will be around the time of the game!

 

[TheBostonStraggler]

This is one of the few posts here I completely agree with.

This is the game Brady needs to play his best playoff game, possibly ever.

I disagree. Brady need only play a step better than satisfactory provided the other areas on offense and defense play a step above satisfactory too. The Patriots have good run stopping, good pass stopping, good STs, good passing game, and their rushing game has been decent. There has been no significant weakness demonstrated from a general perspective (individual matchup issues not withstanding).

Given all that, if you are saying Brady has to play one of the best games of his career in order for the Patriots as a team to beat the Ravens?? Then the Patriots are over matched by the Ravens, the Patriots are headed for failure, they are not as good as I/many think they are, and the Ravens are an outstanding team that probably will win the SB.

 

[tombonneau]

BTW, the key to this game is establishing the run. The Steelers got WWWWAAAAAAYYYYYY too pass happy tonight. In the first half, they ran 11 times and passed 27 times. In the second half, ran 8 times and passed 21 times. They got way too one dimensional which allowed the Ravens to pin their ears back and put extra men in coverage. That is why their horrible secondary actually looked pretty good tonight because they didn't even care if the Steelers ran the ball because the Steelers weren't going to run the ball.

Yes, yes, and yes again. I want a first half of runs and screens and runs and screens even if it amounts to only 10 points. They need to keep pass rushers honest.

Even without Bell they were running well but coaches pulled state after fumble and they weren't the same since. Which once again shows that those petty coaching mind game moves pay no dividends. Fumbles happen, move on.

 

[MassPats38]

Steelers won the games they were supposed to lose and lost the games they were supposed to win this year. This just sums up their season.

As for the Ravens, wanted to see them out of the playoffs and out big today because I cannot stand T-Sizzle and his merry band of idiots. If they want to cry underdog, they earned that title by losing to everything that resembled a decent team this year. The Pats D has its own attitude this year, so if Brady plays marginally well (meaning the O-line holds up respectably) I will be happy to see the Cravens shown the door by the Pats.